Mixed reactions to appointment of Danny Jordaan as new Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor

May 19, 2015

The African National Congress' (ANC) big announcement that it had appointed South African Football Association (SAFA) President, Danny Jordaan, to be the new Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay to replace the elderly Ben Fihla received mixed reactions on Monday.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Nelson Mandela Bay said the appointment “is merely a new facade for the same problems”.

“We have seen in the other Provincial Metro's where the ANC have had 5 mayors in last 8 years, that changing mayors is like shifting deck chairs on the titanic. Danny Jordaan won't be able to do anything with a broken ANC administration!” said Athol Trollip, the DA’s Federal Chairperson and Mayoral Candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay in the 2016 Local government elections.

He said the Nelson Mandela Bay really needs a DA government.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is hoping to get a foothold in the Bay, said Jordaan should resign immediately from his position as SAFA boss.

"Jordaan must resign from the association since he has chosen active politics and life as an ANC politician.

"At the helm of SAFA must be a person that all the supporters of Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana, and the rest of national soccer teams can associate with regardless of which political parties they belong to. Jordaan must also resign to ensure that he does not render a body, that should be neutral and rally everyone regardless of their political affiliation, partisan," EFF National spokesman, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, said.

"It is obvious that Mr Jordaan has elected to be the Messiah of the kleptocratic and collapsing ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay and he must therefore do the honourable thing and vacate SAFA with immediate effect."

The news of Jordaan’s new deployment got conversations going on social media and the phrase Danny Jordaan was “trending” on twitter for a few hours.

Here is what some of you had to say:

While some hailed it as a smart move on the part of the ANC, some called on jordaan to resign from SAFA to avoid him being seen as a "visiting Mayor".